Professor Fabrice Balanche Targeted After Criticizing University’s Handling of Religious Observance

Fabrice Balanche, a distinguished specialist in Syrian affairs and a lecturer in geography at the University of Lyon 2, found himself at the center of a contentious incident that has ignited debate surrounding academic freedom, freedom of speech, and the management of religious expression within the French university system.

On Tuesday, April 1st, during a lecture on the Bron campus, Balanche was confronted by approximately ten masked and hooded individuals. According to reports, they approached the professor chanting slogans such as "Racists, Zionists, you are the terrorists," and directly accusing him of being "pro-Assad, complicit in genocide." This aggressive disruption followed Balanche’s appearance on CNews two days earlier, where he voiced concerns about the university’s decision to provide a space for the breaking of the fast (iftar) during Ramadan.

Balanche elaborated on the situation during an interview on Figaro TV’s "Points de Vue" program. He stated that the university had allocated a room for iftar gatherings since mid-February. He explained, "They were organizing iftars in the university," and "when they started publicizing these iftar gatherings on Instagram, calling on Muslims to join them, featuring a woman wearing a veil and a man in Islamic attire, the president of the university told them that this was not possible."

According to Balanche, the university president requested that the events be rebranded as "shared meals" and that the explicitly Islamic promotional materials be removed. Balanche criticized this approach as insufficient, arguing, "27,000 students were blocked because of about twenty people, and all the president proposes is to write a charter of secularism together. But come on, these are not sixth-graders! The charter of secularism exists, there is the law of 1905. It’s naivete, she didn’t understand who she was dealing with. Moreover, they sent her packing and called her Islamophobic and racist."

This public commentary seemingly triggered the subsequent confrontation during Balanche’s lecture. The incident, captured on video, quickly went viral, amassing close to 10 million views across social media platforms and drawing the attention of political figures. Rachida Dati, for instance, expressed her outrage on X, writing, "How have we come to the point where hooded men expel a university professor in the middle of a lecture?"

Balanche recounted the aftermath of the incident, stating that the Minister of Higher Education, Philippe Baptiste, contacted him on April 5th to offer his support. However, he contrasted this with the university president’s response, noting, "The Minister of Higher Education, Philippe Baptiste, quickly called me (on April 5th) to support me, while the president never called or wrote to offer her support. I just received an email after the incident suggesting that I move my classes to the downtown campus rather than to Bron, for security reasons."

Balanche declined the university’s suggestion, viewing it as a form of capitulation. He stated, "I declined the proposal ‘because it would have been a desertion and we must precisely block this entrisme’." He acknowledged receiving support from some colleagues and students, noting that "four of my students interpose themselves on the video that circulated." However, he expressed disappointment with the university’s leadership, describing their response as "aphonic, even ambiguous."

Balanche highlighted a particularly concerning statement attributed to the university president: "The president of the university said that she was not surprised that it happened to me given my remarks about Gaza." He challenged the president to clarify which remarks she was referring to, asserting that his work on the Middle East consists solely of geopolitical analyses, devoid of personal opinions. He also questioned her characterization of his statements as "conspiracy-minded, deleterious, and harmful to the university."

He further inquired, "What is she talking about? Because I said that it was an Islamist-leftist group and that this group was not just a group of leftists who only had social or political demands and who, I quote, were going through their adolescent crisis, as she herself signified to me?"

While acknowledging that he had been receiving "messages of hatred and attacks for a very long time," Balanche clarified that he did "not consider himself to be harassed in the strict sense." However, he expressed ongoing concern about the individuals who disrupted his lecture, noting that a police investigation was underway but that their identities remained unknown to him. He stated, "At the present time, I do not even know if those who threatened me are students. Perhaps they may come from outside, I do not know."

The controversy surrounding Fabrice Balanche took another turn when the Vice-President of the Administrative Council of Lyon 2 resigned, citing harassment. According to reports, the resignation followed allegations that the Vice-President had previously "made a tribute to [Hassan, NDLR] Nasrallah," the leader of Hezbollah. The Minister of Higher Education announced that "a report has been made for these facts which may constitute advocacy of terrorism."

Balanche further revealed that the Vice-President, Willy Beauvallet, had "completely slammed me, sharing on his social networks a video from Blast on this matter, which he advised everyone to read because it would supposedly be much more professional than the Bolloré media, to quote him." Balanche criticized Beauvallet for expressing personal opinions on the Middle East, including delivering "the eulogy of Hassan Nasrallah, explaining that he should be in the pantheon of our hearts."

The situation at Lyon 2 has raised significant questions about the balance between freedom of expression, the management of religious practices within universities, and the protection of academics from intimidation and harassment. The incident involving Fabrice Balanche has become a focal point for broader debates about the challenges facing French universities in navigating these complex issues. The controversy continues to unfold, with potential implications for academic freedom and the future of university governance in France. The incident underscores the heightened sensitivities surrounding discussions of the Middle East and the potential for such discussions to become flashpoints for political and ideological conflict within academic institutions. The case also highlights the increasing scrutiny faced by academics who express views that are perceived as controversial, particularly on issues related to religion and politics.